Getting Organized for Communication

It was one of those meetings that galvanized for me what chief executives often look for in a communications person. The executive in question was someone I had known for many years and who needed help with some new corporate communications initiatives. He worked in an industry with which I had no experience. When he asked me if I could help, the first thing I pointed out was that I had no experience in his industry and didn’t consider myself a “techie.”

He said, “I don’t need a techie, I need someone who can organize us.”

Based on our previous discussions, I knew I could do that, and in the end not only was I able to do so but I also learned that I could be a techie if the situation warranted. In fact, I learned that if you can master the full range of communications disciplines, it does not matter which industry you represent and where you operate.

Since then, I found that this CEO wasn’t the only one who wanted help in organizing his company’s approach to communications. So what are the key issues that lead to this?

Growth – When companies grow, they find that they need new and different capabilities that their early stage communications function did not possess. Perhaps they need to add staff, but just as importantly, they need to rethink the role of communications in their growth and management structure.

Downsizings – When companies shrink, they find that they may not need certain capabilities they’ve maintained for years, but that they do indeed new ones to reposition themselves in their markets.

Repositioning – As nimble companies adjust to changing market and operating conditions, they sometimes need to make adjustments in the way they communicate. Often, they need to communicate with more intensity than they have before to ensure that their stakeholders understand what they are doing, why they are doing it, and where they are going.

These are just three reasons companies need to reorganize their communications efforts, but enough to gain a sense of what you may really need in a professional communicator – an organizer.

eNewsletter Centers on Marcellus Shale's Regional Economic Impact

I just distributed the latest edition of The Question, a one-page newsletter I created to center on one timely question that relates to a business or communications issue of interest.

The theory behind this is that you’d probably rather hear from someone other than me from time to time, but I may be able give you access to some opinions or insights you may not get elsewhere.

In this issue, Kathryn Klaber, President and Executive Director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, responded to the question: Where do you see the Marcellus Shale having the biggest impact on the region’s economy?

If you’d like me to send you a copy, just get in touch with me. My contact information is on my Web site.

Simplifying the Public Relations Process

I’ve waited quite a while to start a blog mostly because I didn’t want to start one without knowing this blog could add something to the ongoing dialogue on communications.

As time has gone by, a pattern has emerged at O’Brien Communications, where one common denominator seems to drive all client need, which is in a word – simplification. No matter what their specific communications challenges, it seems that all clients want their communicators to simplify the process, simplify the message and get results.

The field of public relations has become a huge umbrella for disciplines that resemble a management consultant portfolio: Crisis Communications, Issues Management, Reputation Management, Change Management, Business to Business Marketing, Professional Services Marketing, Employee Communications, Media Relations, Community Relations, Communications Training and Media Interview Coaching. And these are just a few.

In each of these disciplines, we have created systems and approaches to help clients become best engaged in the process from planning through execution. What I’ve noticed, however, is that the process, the jargon and the acronyms can at times get in the way of the fundamental effort to deliver a clear message to a targeted audience effectively.

Other times, the distractions are external. Businesses and organizations must communicate in an environment at times in competition with the general media, social media, and rumors and speculation at the grassroots level.

This blog will weigh in on a range of topics tied to communications, some timeless and some current, but at the core of each post will be an effort to simplify the communications process. But its potential rests in the quality of its conversation with you.

With that in mind, let’s get started.

Tim O'Brien is Owner of O'Brien Communications